Mickey Sherman begins prison sentence

Updated 10:20 pm, Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Michael “Mickey” Sherman – the high-profile attorney best known for defending Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in his 2002 murder trial – turned himself in Tuesday at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., where he will begin a one year, one day sentence for tax evasion. Sherman, a Greenwich native who has offices in Stamford, pleaded guilty last June to failing to pay more than $420,000 in federal taxes. less

Michael “Mickey” Sherman – the high-profile attorney best known for defending Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in his 2002 murder trial – turned himself in Tuesday at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y., ... more

Michael "Mickey" Sherman -- the high-profile attorney best known for defending Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel in his 2002 murder trial -- and who also represented Marash Gojcaj in his recent murder trial in Danbury Superior Court, turned himself in Tuesday at the federal prison in Otisville, N.Y.

Sherman will begin a one-year, one-day sentence for tax evasion.

A Greenwich native who has offices in Stamford, Sherman pleaded guilty last June to failing to pay more than $420,000 in federal taxes.

Sherman, 64, was the guest of honor at a going-away party last month at which guests paid $20 to sip cocktails with Sherman in a Greenwich watering hole. At the party, Sherman said he had no bitterness about serving the prison sentence.

"I didn't get railroaded. I made a mistake. I never groused about paying the price," he said. "I do believe that lawyers should be held to a higher standard."

Although the Internal Revenue Service said that Sherman hasn't paid close to $1 million in taxes since the mid 1990s, he agreed to plead guilty to failing to pay $420,710 in taxes for 2001 and 2002.

All the while, he was making between $800,000 and $1 million a year, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Jongbloed.

The IRS is pursuing the rest of the money through civil proceedings. Sherman's law license has been suspended, but he expects to resume practicing law upon release from prison.

Sherman's attorney, William Dow, said earlier this year that his client will apply for reinstatement when released from prison.

That could happen before the full sentence is over because Sherman is eligible for early release based on good behavior.

"Mickey has accepted responsibility for what he did," Dow said. "He is the consummate professional and I have no doubt that he will be back practicing law and defending people as soon as he is able to do so."